Following the election of Clerides it was agreed through UN facilitation to resume the negotiations on the Set of Ideas and to adopt a package of CBMs. Because of Clerides’ dislike of the Set of Ideas he soon shifted attention to CBMs, the two key purposes of which were to open the closed part of Maraş/Varosha for the rehabilitation of former dwellers under UN administration and to reopen Nicosia International Airport (NIA) for international traffic to and from both sides. As talks progressed Clerides started to object to the separate exit to the TC side, seeing this as an arrangement that would raise the status of the TC side. From this point on GCs started to drag their feet regarding both the CBM Package and the Set of Ideas, instead concentrating on their EEC/EU membership application. This resulted in a turn around and soon Richard Holbrooke, US Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Gustave Feissel, Deputy Special Representative of the UNSG, visited Denktaş arguing that the EU membership application had created an irreversible new situation, overriding the CBM package and the relevant provisions of the Set of Ideas, urging him to support the GC EU membership application. Denktaş stood firm, stating that the GC application was illegal and EU membership had to be taken up following a settlement with mutual agreement.